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Designing
Supportive Environments
"You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment
that will best develop you toward your objective. Analyze your
life in terms of its environment. Are the things around you
helping you toward success - or are they holding you back?"
~W Clement Stone
Do you ever look around your house groaning because it is messy
and cluttered and now you have to clean it...again. Instead
of groaning this is an opportunity to design an environment
that nurtures you and your family.
We often act as if we have no control over our environment.
Yet, this is one of the areas we have the most control over.
We can choose to pick up or walk over. We can choose the red
or the blue. We can choose how to set up our furniture.
Making Your Environment Nurturing
If your environment was a nurturing one, what would be different?
What would you need to do?
How would your kitchen be set up so it was a warm and comforting
place? Homemade bread, uncluttered cupboards, a family message
center? How would your family room look so it could be a connecting
space with your family? Game area or seating facing each other
instead of the TV? What would you change to create a bedroom
that is serene and romantic? You could have fresh flowers, make
your bed every day or clear off your dresser.
Changing Habits
Your environments can also help you create the kind of life
you want to live. Do you want to be healthier? How could the
way you set up your environment help you? You could clean out
your pantry, set up an exercise area or set a beautiful table
so you can savor your meals.
Do you want to save money? You could set up a lovely bill paying
center and play music while you pay bills.
Routines and Systems
Part of designing supportive environments are the routines
and systems that make your life easier. Morning routines, a
mail system, your daily work checklist, and having a once a
week errand day are some examples.
When you go throughout your day, what time of the day always
bogs you down. Do you need a meal planning routine because 6:00
is always a difficult time because you don't know what do make
for dinner?
Or maybe a new laundry system because it's 6:30 am and you
have nothing to wear.
Keep track this week of where a system or routine might be
helpful for you.
Relationships
We don't need to go through life alone. One of the most important
support structures will be other people. Do you have a friend
to call when you get sick, but your kids have to go somewhere?
Who would you go to if disaster fell? Who can you talk to when
you are feeling down? Who do you have the opportunity to nurture
and support?
Friends are one of the first things to go in a busy life. Who
has the time? Everyone needs to make time. Relationships are
what we remember, not the things or the work.
And if life suddenly breaks down, you need people to help you.
My theme for this year is "Reach Out." Between work
and family, I spent less time with friends lately. I have already
made a standing lunch date with a friend every other week, joined
an evening exercise class with some aquaintances I want to get
to know better and have made plans with two other friends. I
want to be able to be there for others and I already know I
have a support system for me if things get rough.
Making the Time
Once your environments are set up you will gain time. Your
things will have a home that makes them easy to get to. Your
routine cleaning will get done. You won't be searching through
clutter to find things.
Now, you just need to find the time to design the environments.
Could you block out 4 weekend days to overhaul your environment
with your family? Could you say no to extra work and requests
for one month? Could you decide to take it slowly and just work
on systems for 10 minutes 5 days a week?
Action
Plan
1. What are the environments in your life you
want to make more nurturing?
2. What do you need to do to design these supportive
environments?
3. Which would you like to start with?
4. Schedule time to make these changes.
Resources:
Simplicity
Calendar
Simplicity
E-Course
Organizing
Articles and Checklist
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Sponsor
101
Self-improvement Experts Book: An ebook I have enjoyed
that tells about the experts, what they have written, their
philosophy and helpful ideas
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Self-Care Tips for January:
·
As
you clean out the dirt, clean out ugly feelings and thoughts
·
Find a favorite chair or spot to read
·
Empty a shelf or horizontal surface so you have
space for what this new year brings
·
Don't take your life or home for granted
"We generate our own environment.
We get exactly what we deserve. How can we resent a life we've
created ourselves? Who's to blame, who's to credit but us? Who
can change it, anytime we wish, but us?" ~Richard Bach
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Relationship Ideas for January:
·
Make a standing lunch date with a friend
·
Make a list of supportive people in your life.
Call one.
·
Don't depend on one person for all your needs
·
Schedule a time for some family cleaning
"Environments are not just containers,
but are processes that change the content totally." ~Marshall
McLuhan
I encourage you this month to create nurturing routines,
supportive environments, and reach out.
Warmly,
Beth Dargis
The Encouraging Coach
www.encouragingcoach.com
A Note About My Recommendations: I provide
links in this newsletter to products and services I am offering
or I have personally found valuable. I have an affiliate agreement
with some of the products I like.
Copyright (c) 2005 Beth Dargis, Zeeland,
Michigan. All rights reserved. Feel free to use these articles
on your website and newsletters as long as the footer is included.
Permission is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute this
e-letter so long as this copyright notice and full information
attributing Beth Dargis is attached.
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